Working Skill Rune Names Disclosed

In response to a member's thread at the Battle.net forums, Bashiok responded with some nice little tidbits of information that will hopefully hold us all off for another week. Clarifying a recent (relative term here) renovation of the skill runes on the development side that he vaguely mentioned some time ago, he begins:

Official Blizzard Quote:

The runes have really just been renamed to allow us greater flexibility in what they do so we're not creating a weird detachment from what they're called and the effect they provide. For example what was the multi-strike rune going to do for ... say... slow time? And does that match what the name implies, or what you would assume? Probably not.

Also, personally, the newest names [...] are very much in the theme of the world and Diablo. Lethality/multistrike/power were very game-mechanic in approach, and even when they moved to viper/hydra/force they had an odd mysticism attached with them. Now they're very plainly named by interesting sounding materials. Great, very matter of fact and real in their theme, IMO.

Runes still have a general theme though, you'll know that this rune usually increases damage in some way, and this other one usually decreases cost in some way, and this one is a wild-card and usually changes how the skill works in some crazy way. But we have enough freedom now that multi-strike/hydra whatever you know it as, doesn't have this defined perception that it's always going to "multi-strike". Whatever that means to each player.

Soon enough, he replies with the current working names of some runes they're playing with at HQ:

Golden = when that skill is used you have a greater mf and gold find?
Obsidian = chance to open wounds or deadly strike or something with that spell?
Crimson = posibly change any spell into elemental fire damage?

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I don't think runes will add mf or gold drop. Golden will probably be something like decreased resource cost. indigo was use as a multi strike example by bash so ill stick with that. Obsidian could be vamp, crimson increased damage or dot and alabaster could be the wild-card rune since bash mentioned that there would probably be one such rune.

Also, rune effects are not universal and will change so crimson could be either damage or dot and obsidian could be a healing effect on non-attack skills

This is definately a better naming system for the runes. It allows for much more flexibility with what they can do with the effects the runes give to each skill. And runes wont be related to elemental damage such as fire/cold, they will still have effects like reduced mana cost, multi-strike, faster cast rate etc.

Im sure they wont make a rune with reducing resource cost because all the diablo 3 team has been saying is like, well we don't want things like WoW where o you have a buff increasing damage or when skill trees were being developed(not anymore of course)they said they wont have anything to spend points on that just increases damage and that's it or reducing stuff I mean I just don't think a rune for it makes since.

Wait, so we're talking about names that are not so specific so that their effects on the skills are not always the same (such as the multi strike example)...

...and then we go on about how Golden would just add gold/magic find or other extremely specific (and very boring) changes?

I mean come on. Added mf or gold find is the worst idea of the year on a rune. Also just changing damage into another element makes little sense at all?

Nevermind the fact that this has no versatility whatsoever. Why are we trying to put such specific effects on the runes when we JUST LEARNED of new names given to the runes for flexibility?

And If any runes do make such simple boring changes in the end, I'll be really disappointed. Runes are like, the only special interesting things they have introduced yet and that has lots of potential. But there's no potential or part of runes that I care about if they have such boring changes as "Golden make your skill give more mf/gold find and thats it. How could anyone stand for that? :/

Man, runes in D3 change the way a skill works. And a rune that would add an extra few % gold drop to a skill would be totally useless. You would have to use that skill all the time to get the extra gold drop.

Also with the new names, the name of the rune simply implies what material the rune is made of. A golden rune doesnt neccesarily mean that everything it touches turns to gold. They just renamed them so it would be easier to tailor the different effects to each skill. A gold rune can mean different things for different skills where as a multi-strike rune wouldnt fit well with some skills.

Now, I certainly approve of them having the names more vague so that they have more room to play with the effects on various skills, but seriously these names are totally lame. Besides, don't gems already have different colors? Lastly, aren't runes like... a way of writing? Did people in the Diablo universe carve out the word "Crimson" on a stone slab in some old dialect, or did they find a crimson gem (ruby or whatever) with symbols on it that no-one could translate and decided to call it a "crimson rune"? I don't get it.

Man, runes in D3 change the way a skill works. And a rune that would add an extra few % gold drop to a skill would be totally useless. You would have to use that skill all the time to get the extra gold drop.

Also with the new names, the name of the rune simply implies what material the rune is made of. A golden rune doesnt neccesarily mean that everything it touches turns to gold. They just renamed them so it would be easier to tailor the different effects to each skill. A gold rune can mean different things for different skills where as a multi-strike rune wouldnt fit well with some skills.

I don't know about the others, but since obsidian is extremely sharp in real life, I would imagine it would add some sort of effect of making the target bleed uncontrollably or prevents monster heal or something similar.

I don't know about the others, but since obsidian is extremely sharp in real life, I would imagine it would add some sort of effect of making the target bleed uncontrollably or prevents monster heal or something similar.

actually it could be I kinda like the idea like it would help to use a skill with crimson rune on like lets say a fallen shaman or such so it wouldn't be able to heal, I mean that idea is a lot better than just saying O well crimson increases fire damage or adds fire damage.

Ok, so if the Gold rune boosts gold and magic drops , would it proc when you kill the enemy with that particular spell or is the drop increase/boost active all the time, Despite if you are using the "gold spell?"

If not, wouldn't that lead to everyone having a "last hit" spell with a gold rune enchanted? Which would suck.